


Christmas In Cold Creek

by Lasafara



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, cheesy love story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22206499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lasafara/pseuds/Lasafara
Summary: Dean runs away with Sam, pretending to be Sam's father in an attempt to get both of them away from John's con artist ways. They find themselves in Cold Creek, a small town in the middle of a winter wonderland, where the people are friendly and the local restaurant is desperately in need of Dean's cooking expertise. There he meets Sheriff Novak, who is awfully interested in Dean in all the best ways.But John wants them back, and there's no telling what he'll do to get them back under his thumb.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, John Winchester/Mary Winchester
Comments: 19
Kudos: 87
Collections: Destiel Harlequin Holiday Cheesefest Challenge 2019





	Christmas In Cold Creek

Dean couldn’t help looking over his shoulder as he walked out of his new apartment, Sam’s tiny hand in his. At eight years old, Sam wasn’t as observant as Dean was, and if he’d been a normal boy his age, he probably wouldn’t have stood for the hand-holding. But Sam and Dean had been on the run for three months now, having finally settled in Cold Creek just a few weeks ago. 

Sam was scheduled to start school today, all the paperwork having gone through and the testing done to find out what grade Sam should be in. Dean was relieved that Sam had tested into third grade, completely average for his age group. Dean had worked hard over the years to make sure that Sam wasn’t behind in any way. It had been hard, since Sam had never actually been able to enroll in any school for long enough to actually learn anything, but Dean had supplemented all his classwork with extensive homeschooling, done in the library where John couldn’t get them without making a scene. 

It was a short walk to the school, something Dean was extremely grateful for because he needed to be back in time to start his new job. The Cold Creek Diner, located directly underneath their apartment, had agreed to hire Dean on and lease him the apartment. The woman running the kitchen had lost her best chef a week before Dean rolled into town, and was left with only a dishwasher who had no idea what they were doing. Dean had taken one bite of their pie and known he could do better. 

So instead of complaining, Dean had walked back to the kitchen and offered to help out. The woman, whose name was Ellen Harvelle, had agreed to let him sous chef for her for the evening, and he’d walked out with a paycheck and a job. When she’d found out he was a ‘single father’ looking for an apartment, she’d immediately handed him the key to the studio apartment above the restaurant. 

“It’s not much,” she’d said, “but it’ll do you for a while, and since my daughter’s off to college I’ve been thinking about renting it out anyway.”

It’d nearly broken Dean down to tears, but he’d been grateful, and before long he’d found a local website offering free items that had gotten him a bed and some dividers to give Sam the semblance of his own room. The first few days had been rough, sleeping on the floor, but it had all worked out and Dean was ready to begin life new.

His real name wasn’t Dean Winchester, of course. Heaven only knows what his father’s real last name was, but John Smith had been the name he’d given their mother, Mary, when she married him. Mary had kept John on the straight and narrow for a few years after Dean had been born, according to her, but the man couldn’t stay away from his delusions forever. He’d been convinced the world was filled with monsters that only he knew about, and would go on drunken rampages about them. Mary had kicked him out when Dean was four, so Dean only had a few memories of those times.

Mary had lived as a single mom for a long time, and then when Dean was 11 John had contacted her from rehab, promising that he was off of the alcohol and everything, that he’d gotten help and everything was fine. That lasted for two years, long enough for Sam to be born, before John had decided the medication he took wasn’t working anymore, and dumped it down the toilet. Before long the delusions had taken over again, the drinking started back up, and John once again began to rant and rail against the world. This time, Mary found out he’d begun stealing money from her, and she vowed never to let him in their lives again.

Dean found out, later, that his dad was a grifter and a thief, cheating at pool, gambling, stealing credit cards, anything to make a buck. The delusions he had were a real issue, but the actual problems weren’t the delusions. The man was a petty crook who preferred to live life cheating his way through it, and Mary was through.

Dean was 12 when Sam was born, and he wasn’t entirely sure at first what to make of this screaming infant who’d invaded his life. Mary had insisted that Dean help out with basic baby chores, which thankfully did not involve changing diapers, but did involve feeding, burping, and baby wrangling. It’d upset Dean at first, but he’d come to love the little nugget, even if all Sam did for the longest time was scream and shit.

Sam was five when Mary had died in a hit and run, on her way to pick him up from kindergarten. He had precious few memories of his mother, but Dean made sure to keep them alive as much as possible. The state, not caring that John was an unfit father in Mary’s eyes and ignoring her will placing the boys into her own parents’ care, had given John full custody of the boys. John had immediately taken advantage of the situation, and convinced Dean to sign over his college fund to John. It was only supposed to be for a little while, to deal with the hard times after Mary’s death, but Dean had ended up trapped, unwilling to leave Sam behind and with no money for college or to get away. John had taught Dean about grifting, and Dean had learned, if only to make sure that Sam always had food on the table.

Dean found out six months ago that John had started siphoning off Sam’s college fund, though, and that was that. Dean knew that if he left Sam in John’s care, Sam would not only never make it to college either, but he would likely end up used as a tool in John’s grifting. Dean wouldn’t allow it. Using the skills John had taught him, Dean had assumed a stillborn’s identity, established Sam as his son, and pulled all the remaining money out of Sam’s college fund and into an account only he had access to. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do.

Now they just needed to lay low, and stay out of trouble. Dean knew John would be looking for them. The college money alone would have pissed John off, and John had spent a lot of time before they’d left talking about how kids always gave people like him a air of respectability. No one suspected the guy with a child, he said. Dean had kept Sam away from the worst of it, but Sam had been used as cover for more capers than Dean liked to admit. Dean had established that Sam was his kid, which did mean pretending to be a few years older than he was, but that was okay. 

As they walked, Dean went through his day in his head. Ellen had promised that he could take a break and go pick Sam up from his third grade and then Sam could either stay at the restaurant or head on up to the apartment. Dean would work for another couple of hours, getting things ready for the dinner rush, and then go get dinner for Sam and make sure he got his homework done. Ellen would prefer that Dean worked evenings, really, but this way Dean could be there for Sammy. 

He was so busy scanning the horizon for John that he didn’t notice the town sheriff until it was too late.

“Hello there!” the man said, heading their direction. Dean swallowed. The man wore a cowboy hat and… no, he didn’t have cowboy boots on. That was a relief. He had dark hair and brilliant blue eyes, and was just a touch shorter than Dean himself. 

And he was a threat. 

The last thing Dean wanted was to get on the radar of the local cops.

*****

Castiel smiled when he saw the newcomers walking through town towards the school. He’d heard from Ellen that she’d offered a job and Jo’s old place to a bedraggled single father who could, and he quoted, “cook like a dream,” but he hadn’t had a chance to introduce himself yet. It was a small town, and Castiel made it a point to get to know everyone in it. He’d found that that kind of personal touch went a long way to keeping the peace.

And frankly, it was no hardship to get to know this man. 

“Dean, right? Dean Winchester? I’m Sheriff Castiel Novak.” Castiel held his hand out for Dean to shake. Dean was tall, with green eyes and freckles, and Castiel wanted to count them all. 

It took a moment for Dean to react, seeming to be surprised by the introduction. “Sorry, small town. News travels fast, really. I’d like to formally welcome you to the neighborhood. Feel free to let me know if you need anything.”

Dean finally reacted, taking Castiel’s hand and shaking it firmly. “Uh… thanks. We’re just headed to school now, so…”

“Right! And you’re Sam, right?” Castiel held his hand out for Sam, who shied away from him. Castiel wasn’t worried. He just straightened up. Kids were easily intimidated, after all, and it might take Sam a while to warm up in this new town. “Why don’t I walk you guys to school?”

“Oh, uh. There’s really no need…” Dean said, trailing off as Castiel fell into step beside him.

“It’s no problem! Besides, it’d be a good idea to make sure you know how to get there. Will Sam be walking on his own eventually? A lot of kids in town do,” Castiel said.

“Hell no! I mean. Uh. No.” Dean stammered his words out, sharp at first and then more hesitant. 

Castiel laughed. “It’s okay to be overprotective at first, Dean. How long have you been alone?”

Dean looked down, not meeting Castiel’s gaze as they walked, and Castiel wanted to make him raise his eyes. “A while.”

“Can I ask how she died?”

Dean’s eyes jerked up towards Castiel’s, wide with shock, before he seemed to collect himself. “Uh, right. Hit and run.”

“I’m so sorry,” Castiel said. “Your protectiveness makes sense, and I get it. But I want you to know that this town is extremely safe, and more importantly, I can promise that I’m always out and about when the kids are walking to and from school.”

“Right. Great. Yeah. That’s great. Uh…” Dean tripped over something on the sidewalk Castiel didn’t see, and Castiel reached out to grab his arm to steady him. “Hahaha yeah, okay, oh man uh. Look, Sammy! We’re at your school! So we’ll see you around, Sheriff?”

Castiel nodded, letting go of Dean and allowing him to take a couple of steps in front of him Castiel dropped his eyes to the back of Dean’s pants with a small smile. His face softened as he watched Dean kneel down and hug his child, before Sam ducked into the school alone. 

When Dean finally turned back to him, Castiel couldn’t help thinking the man looked distraught at leaving his child. 

“Can I walk you home?”

“Uh… Sure?’

It was a question, but Castiel took Dean at his word, and made sure the very handsome new man in town made it safely back to the restaurant where he worked. Dean was clearly nervous, maybe even scared, and Castiel’s job was to make sure that everyone in his town was safe and secure. And if he just wanted to get to know the man a little more, well… There was nothing wrong with that.

*****

Dean disappeared into the back as soon as he got to the restaurant, and thank all that was holy, Sheriff Novak didn’t follow him. He could hear Ellen talking to the sheriff for a few minutes, and then apparently the man left. Dean breathed a sigh of relief. Sheriff Novak was an extremely handsome man, and if it wasn’t for their situation and the man’s job, Dean might have gone for him. Dean had never really been able to act on any of his crushes before.

John had _opinions_ about homosexuality, and even though Dean wasn’t technically gay (he was pretty sure he was bisexual, actually), John had made it clear the first time Dean had talked about a boy at school that no son of his would be a… well. Dean had learned quickly. Mary had thought his schoolyard crushes had been cute, and encouraged them. John did not. 

Besides, once Dean got old enough to attract the eye of adult women, John had had him flirting at bars to get money from older women. Dean hadn’t enjoyed those jobs, but he’d done them because of the threat of John using Sam as bait instead. 

Dean didn’t want the attention of the cops here. He didn’t want Sheriff Novak sniffing around Dean’s history or home. He wanted to fly completely under the radar here, get Sam a stable place to live and a good home life, and raise his brother right. 

So when midmorning came around and he spotted Sheriff Novak stroll back in, he cursed. He ducked back into the back and listened as Sheriff Novak ordered his “usual”, which was apparently a black coffee and a scone. He heard Sheriff Novak praise the new recipe and couldn’t help preening a bit as Ellen praised Dean’s work. Dean was glad he was in the back, because he started blushing when Sheriff Novak asked about him and Ellen told him all about Dean’s outrage at the poor food, and how Ellen hired him on the spot.

But Dean still snuck a peek out to see the handsome Sheriff. He was only human after all.

*****

Apparently the good sheriff stopped by the restaurant five or six times a day, because every time Dean turned around, Sheriff Novak was there. The man only spent five, maybe ten minutes in each time, refilling his coffee and grabbing a snack, but it was enough for Dean to perk up and listen. When Dean finally got to take his break to go get Sam, Sheriff Novak was at the school crosswalk, carefully monitoring traffic and particularly the children, not all of whom were being as careful as they should have been.

“Mr. Winchester! Nice to see you again!” Sheriff Castiel waved at Dean as he walked up. “How goes your day?”

“Er… fine,” Dean said. He had to wait for the sheriff to stop traffic for him and the kids, fidgiting the whole time. Sheriff Castiel was clearly well-built, his uniform fitting him well. Dean tore his eyes away from the sheriff’s hips, reminding himself sharply that it didn’t matter how well the man filled out his clothing. The sheriff was _the sheriff_ , and thus he was off limites.

“That’s great. If you ever have any problems, don’t hesitate to call me. Just a second now,” Sheriff Castiel said, before blowing his whistle and stopping traffic so that parents and kids could start crossing the street. 

Dean hurried away from him, hitting the sidewalk by the school and immediately scanning for Sam. It took him a little while. Sam was sitting up by where the teachers were standing. He had his face buried in what had to be a library book, and didn’t look up until Dean was standing nearly on top of him.

“Good book?” Dean asked with a grin. He ran his fingers through Sam’s hair and sighed. Sam needed a haircut, but Dean couldn’t afford it right now. If he could get Sam to hold still, maybe he’d try to do it himself.

“Yeah!” Sam said, smiling brightly up at Dean. “Did you know that the school has its own library? And Mrs. Peek said I could check out three whole books every time we go, as long as I return them!”

With a laugh, Dean motioned towards the sidewalk. “Well, let’s get home so you can get your homework done and then you can read more.”

Sam sighed so loudly, Dean was pretty sure they could hear him in China. But he hopped up from his spot and took Dean’s hand as they headed back towards the restaurant.

“Nerd.”

“Dean! Don’t call me that!” Sam complained, glaring up at Dean. Dean just grinned.

“Your son calls you by your first name?” Sheriff Castiel was standing there, keeping the kids from running into the street until the cars had stopped, and dammit. Dean had forgotten he was there.

“Uh. Sometimes. It’s uh…”

“I’m a very grownup eight year old,” Sam said, holding his book to his chest and staring defiantly up at the sheriff. 

The sheriff gave Dean an odd look, but nodded seriously back at Sam. “I see that.”

“Well, we’ll let you get back to directing traffic! Bye!” Dean hurried Sam away before the sheriff could offer to walk them home again.

As soon as they’d turned the corner and were away from the school and the sheriff, Sam looked up at Dean with big eyes. “I’m sorry, De--Dad.”

“It’s okay, buddy. We’re still getting used to this, after all. Do your best and we’ll make it,” Dean said, leaning down and giving Sam a hug. Sam wrapped his arms tightly around Dean’s neck and clung to him for a moment, reminding Dean exactly why they were doing this.

“We’ll be okay, kid.”

*****

They fell into a routine of sorts. Dean was glad that the apartment had its own washer and dryer, because they’d only managed to get away with three sets of outfits each. Sam didn’t want to wear the same clothing so often, but there wasn’t much of a choice. Dean did at least make sure that the clothing was clean, even if it meant doing laundry every other day. 

Dean walked Sam to school and picked him up every day, and the sheriff made a point to walk them to school as well. He was also at the school crosswalk every afternoon. Dean did his best to not sound like a total idiot, and Sam did a lot better at calling him ‘Dad,’ which meant there were less people looking at them weird. Dean was just starting to relax into the small town when the sheriff showed up at his door.

“Can I come in?” Sheriff Castiel asked. Dean paused for a long moment, and then stepped outside the door.

“Sam’s studying. I don’t want to disturb him. What can I do for you, sir?” Dean’s stomach twisted as he stood on the landing above the restaurant. 

Sheriff Castiel smiled. “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. But Sam’s teachers noticed he’s been coming in with the same clothing a little more frequently than is desired.”

Dean groaned. “I swear they’re clean. I know he wears them a lot, but I promise, as soon as I get some spare cash we’ll--”

“Dean, please. You’re not in trouble. The teachers pooled together some money, and we got you a gift card for $500 to the local clothing shop, and the clothing shop agreed to double it,” the sheriff said, and Dean just blinked. 

And then blinked some more. 

And then he stared at the ceiling, blinking hard. “They… they what…”

Sheriff Castiel dug a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over, and Dean definitely did not use it to cover his eyes. 

“We take care of our own in this town, and we all know it’s hard to be a single dad. We don’t know your story, but we know kids grow like weeds, and you’re a good dad. So now you have enough to get him a full wardrobe, and maybe some things for yourself, too,” Sheriff Castiel said.

Dean finally got himself under control, and stared at the sheriff. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea… No idea how much this helps.”

The sheriff opened his arms, and Dean let himself be pulled into a hug. Castiel murmured words Dean didn’t really even hear properly, gently rocking him back and forth as he cried out his gratitude. Finally Dean pulled away.

“So, you’ll let me come along, right?” Castiel said.

*****

With effectively $1000 in his hand, Dean led Sam and the good sheriff into the local clothing store, delightfully named New Threads. Grabbing a cart, Dean knelt down beside Sam and grabbed his shoulder with his free hand. 

“Okay, kid. We’ve got a lot of money here, so while I go find you socks and underwear, you take Sheriff Castiel and start trying on pants and shirts. You also need pajamas, and I’ll help you with shoes and coats. Divide and conquer, right?”

Sam nodded, a great big smile on his face, and as soon as Dean stood up, Sam turned and grabbed Castiel’s hand and began to drag him to the kid’s department. Castiel grinned at Dean and let himself be dragged.

Dean followed along more sedately, shoving several packages of socks and underwear into his cart when he came to that department. He wanted Sam to be able to go at least two weeks without needing to do laundry, even if he planned to do laundry every week. That way if something happened, Sam had extra. Dean threw in an extra package of each after that, just to be sure. Then he caught up with Sam, who was busily digging through graphic tees and chattering at Castiel about them.

“All right, brat. What did you find?”

Sam showed off two shirts, one with a science theme and one with a soccer theme. “Can I get these?”

“Well, let’s try them on, make sure we get the right size, but otherwise yes,” Dean said, laughing when Sam did a little dance there in the store.

Dean couldn’t help checking price tags anyway, but kids shirts were usually $10 or so, and Dean didn’t hold back, letting Sam pile up 20 or so shirts into the cart with the socks and underwear. Sam didn’t have as strong an opinion on his pants, but Dean picked out five pairs of jeans, a pair of khakis and a pair of black dress pants. He also made Sam try on and buy two polo shirts and a button-up dress shirt, at Cas’s suggestion, for any formal occasions. 

Then they moved on to shoes. Sam picked out a pair of light up sneakers he had to have. Dean also made him try on a pair of dress shoes, and they picked out a pair of sandals together for summertime and taking out the trash. Finally, it was time for outerwear. Sam had been wearing Dean’s leather jacket to school, which was far too big, while Dean made do with several layers. Instead, they found a coat that was only a couple sizes too big, which Cas assured them meant Sam would be able to keep it for a couple of years. They also found a light jacket for spring, and several hoodies, plus mittens, a knit cap, and a scarf.

Before heading to the register, Cas leaned into Dean’s ear. “Does he need pajamas?”

Dean’s eyes went wide. “Well… he usually wears one of my shirts to bed…”

Sam looked up at Dean. “I can still do that, D--Dad. We’re buying a lot of things. I don’t need jammies.”

“Are you sure? Let’s check them out just in case, okay?”

With a nod, Sam eyed the large pile of clothing they’d already picked out. “Okay. But we should figure out how much we’re spending first.”

Dean nodded, and between he and Castiel’s cell phone calculator, they managed to come up with a price tag that made Dean a little weak in the knees, but was still under half of what they had to spend. That done, Sam was happy to pick out a pair of pajamas that had puppies all over.

Noticing backpacks, Dean grabbed a bag and then a matching thermos and lunch box for Sam, also with dogs on them. Sam stared at the bag with wide wide eyes, but didn’t argue. Then Castiel nudged Dean.

“You know, even with that, you’re still only spending a little over half of the gift card you have,” Castiel said. “While it’s probably smart to save some back for growth spurts and the like, no one would blame you for picking out a few things for yourself.”

“I couldn’t,” Dean said, but Sam had already heard Castiel and was tugging on Dean’s shirt.

“Come on, Dad. You need stuff too! And maybe they have a Star Wars shirt like mine and we could be matching!” 

Sam’s grin sold him, and Dean sighed. “Alright, brat. Lead the way.”

Dean refused to pick out nearly as much as Sam had, but by the end of the trip he’d piled on half a dozen more shirts, two more pants, a couple of plaid overshirts, and a hoodie he could wear underneath his leather jacket for warmth. They did, indeed, find a Star Wars shirt for Dean, which looked nothing like Sam’s but was close enough to make Sam smile and that was the important thing. 

When they got to the register, Sam used his puppy eyes to great effect, and walked out with a bar of chocolate and a fidget spinner. 

Handing over the card had been nerve-wracking. What if it was all a lie and there wasn’t enough on the card? Dean had nightmare scenarios that went like this. But it was there, and the woman behind the counter handed the card back to him with a smile and a receipt that said he still had nearly $400 to spend there. 

“Thank you for coming with us today, Castiel,” Dean said.

“It was no problem. How about I help you get everything into the house, and then we can all go out for dinner? My treat,” Castiel said before Dean could turn him down.

“Yay! Can we, Dad? Can we?” Sam tugged on Dean’s sleeve and Dean grimaced. He didn’t really want to be in more indebted to this man than he already was, but he couldn’t take that smile off Sam’s face. Not today. It’d been too long since he’d seen it, and the day had been too good. 

“Okay, I suppose we can do that,” Dean said, and Sam danced around them both before tugging on Castiel’s sleeve. 

“Does it have to be the diner? Only we eat that every day cuz Dad gets a discount and sometimes free food, so if we could go somewhere else that would be really cool. But if we can’t that’s okay too.”

Castiel laughed. “I know a place a little farther out of town that you might enjoy. Let’s get these bags to my car and we’ll head to your place. We should put everything away first, though.”

Dean felt himself pale. “Oh, no, don’t worry about that. We’ll put them away after dinner. Sam and I can just drop them off upstairs and--”

“Don’t be silly, I can at least help you get them upstairs.” Castiel wasn’t looking at him, and that was probably the only reason Dean was able to get himself together without Castiel saying something. He was too busy loading bags into his trunk.

It wasn’t that Dean didn’t want the good sheriff’s company. But the fact that he was a sheriff was really the problem here. Dean didn’t want any attention from the cops, and he especially did not want the cops in his house. Even off-duty, he had a funny feeling that Sheriff Novak would have a problem with how they were currently living. 

But he couldn’t figure out how to keep this very determined man out of his house without being rude and upsetting Sam, and he wouldn’t upset Sam for the world.

*****

Cas parked in the restaurant’s parking lot and popped his trunk, getting out to grab a few bags while Dean grabbed the rest and Sam led the way with Dean’s keys up to the little apartment above Ellen’s restaurant. Sam opened the door with Dean right behind him, and Cas followed them both into the space he’d visited several times when Jo still lived here.

It… didn’t look great. Jo’s old couch was still there, clearly set up as Sam’s bed. The delineation between areas that Jo had maintained to make the little studio more of an apartment was gone. There was a pallet on the floor behind the couch that was obviously where Dean slept. Besides that, there was no furniture. No dressers or anything. The kitchen wasn’t stocked, and the open cabinets seemed to only be used to house their meager stockpile of clothing. 

Standing in the doorway, he glanced to Dean, who was staring down at his feet in shame. Taking a deep breath, Cas knew what he had to do. 

“Well! Did we want to put these away, or just set them down and head on to dinner?”

Sam grinned, and Cas knew he’d made the right decision. “Dinner! Right Dad? We can put our clothing away later right?”

Dean’s smile was forced, but he nodded and Sam didn’t notice. “Yeah, we’ll get everything put away after dinner. You ready, kiddo?”

Cheering, Sam led the way back downstairs, giving Dean the keys so that Dean could lock up behind them. Sam dashed to the car, already there before Dean and Cas were even halfway down the stairs.

“Don’t report us. Please, man, I’m begging you. I promise we’ll get him a bed as soon as I can afford it. I swear. Just give us some time,” Dean begged under his breath, staring down at his son dancing at the car.

“Dean. Please. Everyone in town can tell you’re doing your best. I swear to you, I will do nothing that takes your child from you,” Cas said in the same undertone. He’d suspected they didn’t have much. Ellen had warned him that Dean hadn’t seemed to move much if any furniture in, and Jo had only left that old couch. That hadn’t prepared him for the reality of it, but…

Dean was struggling. Cas wasn’t sure what had forced Dean to move, but whatever it was, he hadn’t been able to bring much with him. Cas suspected that it was something related to his wife’s death. Medical bills could cause a lot of issues, and if they hadn’t owned their home, they could easily have been left with nothing but the car. Dean’s car was an old, beat up Chevy Impala, something that had clearly been well-loved at one point but could no longer be as well-maintained. Cas was sure it had been Dean’s pride and joy once upon a time. He suspected that the only reason they still had the car was because they’d needed something to get away in.

But in the weeks Dean had been here, he’d managed to make time to volunteer at Sam’s school, met with all of Sam’s teachers, and walked his son to and from school every day. He’d impressed the teachers and the other residents of the town with both his work ethic and his complete dedication to his son. Castiel knew that reporting him was not the right thing to do.

“You have nothing to worry about, Dean.”

He’d make sure they were both taken care of.

*****

Thanksgiving was a small affair. Sam had off from school, but Dean (with many apologies from Ellen) still had to work, so Sam was set up at a table near the kitchen and all the waitstaff helped keep an eye on him and keep him fed. Dean got a short break and was able to stuff himself with some turkey and mashed potatoes while Sam told him all about the videogame he was playing on Dean’s phone. Then it was back to the grind. Ellen was tickled pink at the end of the day, and made sure Dean got a huge tip, because the restaurant had its best Thanksgiving of all time.

Dean socked that money away. He wasn’t sure how Christmas was going to go this year, but he wanted to at least have a little something set aside to give Sam a decent Christmas. He’d always managed to get _something_ for Sam every year, small things that John wouldn’t notice or care enough about to pawn off. And he remembered Christmas with their mother, gifts piled under the Christmas tree for him and then Sam as well eventually. 

He couldn’t do that. Dean couldn’t even afford a Christmas tree. But he could manage some gifts. His last paycheck went to getting Sam a mattress and a cheap bedframe, so Dean had moved his own bed to the couch. Clothing was still kept in the kitchen cabinets, but he had some milk and cereal for breakfasts, Sam got lunch at school, and dinner was downstairs at the restaurant. Ellen was super generous about that. Dean kept the apartment as clean as he could, borrowing the broom from downstairs to sweep. Ellen had said she didn’t mind him using the cleaning supplies since her daughter had done the same thing, so everything was neat and tidy as much as he could.

Sam tended to ‘mancave’, as Dean put it, dropping his bookbag wherever he felt like it and leaving his meager toys out where he’d been playing with them. Dean had cleaned up after him at first, but when Sam got his own bed, Dean had put his foot down on Sam taking up the whole couch area with his things. Sam didn’t like cleaning up after himself, but he was getting better at it. 

Christmas was going to be difficult, but Ellen had already promised that the restaurant would be closed Christmas day, so Dean was going to make sure that Sam at least had a couple of presents wrapped in newsprint. 

*****

It was the week after Thanksgiving that Sheriff Castiel came into the restaurant while Sam was at school and asked after Dean. Ellen grinned as she pushed Dean out of the kitchen with a plate of food and told him to ‘take a break.’

Dean settled at Sam’s usual table with his plate, while Castiel sat across from him with a smile and a plate of his own.

“So uh… Thanks again for coming with us to the clothing store. Sam’s a handful when he’s excited like that, so it was great to have a second adult with us,” Dean said, before shoving his burger into his mouth so he had an excuse to stop talking. 

“No problem,’ Castiel said with a laugh. “Sam’s a great kid. You’ve done a good job with him.”

Dean shrugged, uncomfortable. He’d done his best, but their mom would have done better. He was sure of it. 

“No really. Kids who lose a parent like that usually have more trouble in school and in life, but from what I’ve seen, Sam’s making friends, and the teachers rave about him. I’m sure it’s been hard since your wife passed, but you’ve done a great job with him,” Castiel said, and Dean couldn’t stop the blush. 

He kept his eyes down, focused on the food. Dean wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was too complimentary, too much. Dean was just a high school dropout who’d managed to get his GED. Just a dumbass kid, he felt like most of the time, for all that he was in his early 20s. But he couldn’t say that, because who could? He was trying to pass for his late 20s, and besides… It was kinda nice to know that Sam was doing well.

“And Ellen has nothing but good things to say about you,” Castiel started, and Dean finally broke.

“Any chance we’re gonna talk about something else?”

Castiel grinned, and Dean’s face went scarlet again. The man had a great smile, and when it was focused on him, Dean couldn’t help himself.

“What would you like to talk about?”

“I… uh… I hear it’s supposed to snow this week.”

Castiel laughed, a full belly laugh that had Dean squirming in his seat. The man was beautiful, and if he wasn’t completely off limits, Dean would be so into him. But he couldn’t get involved with someone in law enforcement, if for no other reason than he couldn’t do that to a nice guy like Castiel. Someone like Castiel, upon finding out about Dean’s past, would have to turn him in. And that would hurt Castiel, and send Sam into the foster system or worse, back to John, and it just couldn’t happen.

But damn, the man was handsome. 

Leaning forward, Castiel took a bite of his own burger before grinning at Dean. “Weather talk? I suppose that’s fair. At least you don’t have to shovel here, right?”

They fell into a conversation about snow plows and shoveling, and before long Ellen dropped by with two slices of pie. Dean started to stand, worried that he’d been on break too long, but she firmly pushed his shoulder until he sat back down. 

“Now you sit here and eat your damn pie, Dean,” Ellen said. “It’s one of your own, so don’t worry about whether or not I’m gonna destroy your tastebuds. We’re not busy, so you can keep the fine sheriff company for a while longer. Besides, don’t think I haven’t noticed that you don’t take a full break unless someone sits on you.”

Dean started to protest, but Ellen just harumphed at him and walked away, leaving Dean with a slice of pie he couldn’t let go to waste.

“So where did you learn to cook?” Castiel asked, before moaning around a bite of his cherry pie.

“My mom. She had me in the kitchen helping her from the time I could walk. She was a single mom, mostly, and she had to find a way to watch me and cook at the same time, so she made it a game. When I was younger, most of the food was something store bought, stuff that just required a bit a reheating,” Dean said, waving his fork to illustrate. “But as I got older, I got more into cooking than even Mom could handle, so we learned from cookbooks together.”

“That’s amazing. Have you ever thought about going to culinary school?”

“When I was little. But well…” Dean didn’t know how to explain his father without getting into things he didn’t want to. John had stolen his college fund, so as much as it would have been nice to go to culinary school and maybe open his own restaurant, it was never going to happen. “Things changed.”

Castiel nodded. “You were young when you had Sam, weren’t you?”

Dean just shrugged. He really didn’t want to get into it with Castiel. The man was nosy, but Dean supposed it was natural to be curious about the new guy.

“So Dean, I have to ask,” Castiel began, and Dean braced himself for another probing question about his past. “Is there any chance you’re bisexual?”

“What?” Dean managed not to spill his drink, but only just barely. 

Castiel just raised an eyebrow and grinned, waiting for the answer. Dean felt his face get neon red, and he looked down. “Uh, yeah. Yeah I am.”

“Would you be willing to go on a date with me? A real one?”

“Ah, uh. Yeah, okay, we could do that,” Dean said.

This was _such_ a bad idea.

*****

Dean had almost talked himself out of the date by the time he had to go pick up Sam. It was a stupid idea, after all. Hanging out with the sheriff? Sure he was handsome, and considerate, and kind, and Sam had enjoyed his company when they went shopping and when Castiel would walk them to school every once in a while. Sam had even suggested that he could walk to school with just Castiel, so clearly Sam liked the guy.

But he was the _sheriff_ , and as the sheriff, the man had too much power to destroy them. Dean couldn’t risk it, even if Castiel had the best ass Dean had ever seen. He _couldn’t_. 

“Dean, I can’t do my homework with you over there grumbling so much,” Sam said with a whine. “I’m _trying_ to do my homework and you’re _annoying_.”

“ _You’re_ annoying, Sammy.”

“Don’t call me that!” 

Dean laughed and grabbed Sam’s head in a headlock, giving him a noogie, much to Sam’s dismay. When he let him go, he sat down next to Sam at the table and sighed. “Sorry, kid. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Well… Grown up things, mostly.”

“You’re not gonna start drinking, like Dad does, are you Dean?” Sam’s big eyes and quivering bottom lip was too much for Dean and he shook his head hard.

“Oh hell no! No, no, it’s just… Well, Sheriff Castiel asked me out on a date, that’s all.”

Sam perked up. “Oh! Where are you guys going? I’m big enough, I can stay here, I promise! Aunt Ellen is just downstairs, after all!”

“I… Well, I think I need to cancel on him, unfortunately,” Dean said.

“What? Why?”

“Sam, you know I faked our identities, right? Like, this whole thing is a fraud, a felony if we get caught. Dating the sheriff isn’t a good way to keep us a secret,” Dean reminded him.

“But Dean… I like the sheriff, and you like the sheriff. I know you do cuz I saw you staring at him the other day when he walked us home. And I bet he wouldn’t be mad at us if he knew everything, especially cuz we’re just living,” Sam said. “He’s a good person. You should date him. And then you can both be my dads and you’ll let him walk me to school so you can work.”

Dean sighed. “I know he’s a good person. That’s kinda the problem, Sammy. I’m not that great a person, and we don’t need the extra attention.”

“You’re the _best_ person, and you deserve another best person, and that’s Sheriff Castiel!”

“...if I agree to go, will you shut up about it?”

Sam nodded solemnly, holding his pinky out to Dean. With a sigh, Dean hooked his pinky around Sam’s and shook. “Okay, pinky swear, I’ll go.”

“What are you gonna wear?”

“Oh hell no! You agreed to shut up about it!”

*****

Dean ended up taking Sam with him to pick out a ‘date outfit’ with some of the remaining money on their gift card. Sam wasn’t pleased with any of Dean’s current wardrobe choices, so there was nothing for it but to go shopping. Sam convinced him to buy a nice button-up shirt and some khakis, neither of which Dean felt particularly comfortable in, but it worked.

When Castiel showed up at the door, Dean wiped his hands nervously against his khakis before he opened the door. He looked back at Sam, who waved him forward. “I’ll be okay for a couple of hours! Go!”

Opening the door, Dean was met with a Castiel who was dressed in a similar button-up shirt, his hair slicked back instead of messy, and holding a small bouquet of flowers. Dean felt himself blush brightly. He looked down, then looked back up and took the flowers.

“Th-thank you, sheriff,” Dean said, grateful that the flowers came with their own vase. He wasn’t sure they had anything to put flowers in, 

“Please, call me Cas.” The sheriff grinned as Dean floundered at the door, not sure what to do with the flowers. Sam saved him, coming up and grabbing the vase from him and taking them off to the kitchen counter. 

Dean stared wide eyed at Sam for a moment, then turned back to Casti--back to Cas. He really wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. Should he thank Cas again? Maybe he should-- He tried to find his pockets for a moment. When he couldn’t quite locate them, he stared up at Cas and tried to take some deep calming breaths, but it came out more like pants.

“It looks nice in here,” Cas said, breaking the silence. “Are you going to decorate for Christmas?”

“Uh, no, probably not. Maybe next year,” Dean said, looking around. The apartment had a dresser now, that Dean and Sam shared. Ellen had given it to them, saying that she’d upgraded and wondering if they had a use for it. Between that and Sam’s bed, the place was starting to look like a real home. They still didn’t have dishes, just a collection of plastic silverware that they washed for meals, and Dean didn’t buy a lot of food since they got free meals down at Ellen’s. He still slept on the couch, but that was fine. He’d slept on worse.

Christmas had not been a big deal since they’d moved in with John. Dean had always made sure Sam had a little something for Christmas and birthdays, but John had never cared to buy them things beyond what was required to keep them in clothing and food. Dean wished he could make it a big deal now, but he just didn’t have the money. He did plan to get a couple of things, but…

Cas made a noncommittal noise and held out his hand. “Are you ready?”

Sending one last panicked glance back at Sam, Dean took Cas’s hand. Sam was no help. He just held up both thumbs and grinned widely.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Then let’s go.”

*****

They arrived at the restaurant and Cas opened the door for Dean. Dean shuffled a bit, embarrassed, before walking in, feeling Cas place his hand in the small of Dean’s back. 

“We have a reservation under Novak,” Cas said. It was a nice restaurant, in the next town over, and Dean couldn’t help feeling out of place. Sure, he was dressed the same as everyone else, but he was sure they were all looking at him anyway. Cas left his hand on Dean’s back as they were led to their table, where Cas took Dean’s jacket for him and hung it on the hook on the side of their booth with his own. Then he sat across from Dean and smiled.

Dean missed the feeling of Cas’s hand on him as he sat there, and without thinking started to reach over and take Cas’s hand on the table. He stopped himself before he actually did so, changing direction to pick up the menu instead. It was a nice enough restaurant that the prices were well above what Dean would even have considered trying. He set the menu back down.

“You know what you want already?”

“Cas, I can’t uh… I can’t afford this place,” Dean said.

Sighing, Cas ran his fingers through his hair, disturbing the perfectly gelled style, and Dean suddenly realized why Cas always wore a hat. His hair went everywhere.

“Dean, I know. I brought you here because you deserve to be taken care of sometimes. You deserve happiness, just as much as your son does.”

Unable to meet Cas’s gaze, Dean just nodded, picking up the menu again.

“Check out the steak menu,” Cas said. “I’ve heard good things about their steaks.”

*****

It took a little while, but by the time their food came Dean was comfortable enough that he’d stopped tripping over his words and dropping silverware. He’d discovered that Cas wore the cowboy hat because it’d been given to him by one of the kids in town who misunderstood what a ‘sheriff’ was. He’d also learned that Cas had a very limited grasp of pop culture.

“So wait, so wait, you’ve never seen the Frozen movie? It’s a cultural icon! I mean, obviously I only went because Sam wanted to go--”

“Obviously,” Cas said with a smirk Dean refused to acknowledge.

“But you can’t go three feet without tripping over a Frozen reference! Let It Go is the queer theme song of a generation!”

Cas laughed, shaking his head. “Tell you what. I’ll find a place to rent it, and we can watch it with Sam sometime. Sound good?”

“Definitely.”

*****

Christmas was two days away, and Dean had left Sam with Ellen to go Christmas shopping. Ellen had given him a small Christmas bonus. Dean wasn’t sure he’d actually earned a bonus, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. It wasn’t much, but it’d be enough to get Sam a couple of small Lego sets and maybe a gift card for the Google Play store for his phone games. He didn’t love leaving Sam behind, but he also couldn’t go Christmas shopping for Sam with the kid right there.

It took longer than he had thought it would because there were just so many options. Dean wished he had more money, because he’d have bought so many toys for Sam. His carefully budgeted Christmas fund managed to get a couple of nice gifts though, and then he headed back towards home. 

As he walked out of the store, Dean paused, staring hard at the parking lot. There was a truck out there… It couldn’t be. John couldn’t have found them so fast. He _couldn’t_ have. 

Dropping the toys he’d bought into the trunk, Dean backed out and headed for the house. He hated this, but it was time to leave.

*****

“But Dean! Why? Why can’t we stay? I don’t want to leave!” Sam was sobbing, near hysterics, and Dean hated it. He hated doing this to Sam, he hated leaving this good town and its good people, he hated leaving Cas. 

“Because if Dad finds us, he’ll take you away, Sam. He’ll take your money and the car and he’ll run away, and I’ll never find you. You _know_ how he is, Sam,” Dean said, throwing clothing into a trash bag to take out to the car. “You’ll never be allowed to go to school, and you won’t have the money to go to college. I won’t let that happen, Sam. I _won’t_. And if that means we have to run every few weeks, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll get some homeschool supplies again when we have money, okay? I’ll make sure you get a good education, I promise.”

“Dean! I don’t want to leave here! Can’t we talk to Cas? He’s a sheriff, he’ll do something!”

“We _can’t_. We can’t let--”

Dean was interrupted by a knock on the door. He wasn’t expecting anyone. He could only hope to heaven that it wasn’t John. Shoving the bag aside, he searched around for a weapon. Finally settling on one of Sam’s belts, he went to the door. 

“Get behind the couch. If it’s John, I’ll distract him and you run for Ellen, okay?”

“But Dean--”

“Do what I say, Sam!”

Sam nodded, ducking behind the couch. Dean took a deep breath and opened the door.

On the other side stood Castiel, with a huge Christmas tree in his arms. “Hello Dean.”

Dean paused, his brain short-circuiting for a moment while he desperately tried to catch up. “Uh. Hi Cas. What… What are you doing here?”

“Well, the last time I was over I noticed that you hadn’t decorated, so I got a few things. After all, no kid should be without a Christmas tree.” Cas shoved the tree through the door and Dean had no choice but to move out of his way. Sam jumped out from behind the couch and cheered. 

Within moments Cas had set the tree up in a corner of the little apartment, and then he was headed back to the front door. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Dean could argue, Cas was back out the front door. Sam had wiped his eyes and run for the Christmas tree. “We’re staying, Dean. We have to. We have a _Christmas tree_.”

“Sam…”

Cas was back before Dean could reply, with bags filled with ornaments and lights. “There’s some presents wrapped in here too, for both of you. Let’s get the tree decorated!”

Dean stood frozen. What could he do in this situation? They had to leave, but Cas… But Cas… “Fine. Okay. Fine, we can do that.”

Pausing in his unpacking, Cas looked up at Dean. “Was this a bad time? I’m sorry, I was just so excited…”

“No! It was the perfect time!” Sam said, glaring up at Dean.

With a sigh, Dean shook his head. “Sam and I were having a discussion, but we can save that for later. You’re right, it’s Christmas and we’ll decorate.”

Dean didn’t bother to mention that he and Sam would be gone by morning.

*****

Decorating went better than Cas expected, all things considered. Dean hadn’t seemed to want to discuss whatever he and his son were having problems with while Cas was around. Cas could only hope that he hadn’t undermined Dean’s authority with his son. He hadn’t really thought about checking before he showed up with a tree and a bagful of decorations. He’d been so excited by the idea of playing Santa that it hadn’t occurred to him that it might be a bad time.

But Dean seemed to shake off his mood, and Sam got really into the decorating. Every box had a new discovery to be made, and every new ornament had to be placed on the tree with utmost care and precision. Dean and Cas both hid their laughter as Sam directed the whole production, finally demanding to be held up so he could put the angel on the top of the tree.

Just as they stepped back to admire their hard work, all three heard a crash sound from the restaurant below.

*****

Dean flinched at the sound. He knew, somehow, he just knew it was John. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it, though. If they were alone, there’d be every chance he could get Sam out the back and gone before John got upstairs. They’d have to abandon everything, but they’d been there before. They could do it again.

But Cas was here, and that complicated things. Cas was currently on high alert, clearly trying to determine how to handle the noise he’d heard. Was it an emergency or had Ellen simply dropped something? Dean could see the thoughts flitting across his face. Dean wondered if maybe he could send Cas downstairs to investigate while he loaded Sam up. It might get them enough time to get a decent head start…

Then Ellen yelled, something indistinct and angry, and Dean knew he couldn’t leave her to deal with John on her own. And hell, maybe it wasn’t John. Maybe it was just an unruly patron and they had some time yet. Cas turned to Dean then.

“I’m going to go downstairs and see what’s going on,” he said, and Sam started crying.

“Cas no! You’ll get hurt! He’ll hurt you so bad!”

Dean’s heart clenched. Sam knew it was John, too, then. 

“Who?” Cas raised an eyebrow at Sam, then turned to Dean with questions in his eyes that Dean absolutely did not want to answer. But there was more noise from the restaurant below, and Cas turned toward the front door.

“I don’t know what is going on or why you think someone is going to hurt me, Sam, but I promise I’ll be fine.” Cas went over to his things, where he retrieved his service handgun and badge. “Dean, if you know something about this then you should come with me. Stay behind me, though. I’ll protect you. Sam, stay here, lock the door, and don’t open it for anyone. Dean, leave your keys in here. If Dean, Ellen, and I aren’t back up here in ten minutes, all of us together, call 911 and tell them I need backup. Set an alarm on your phone. Then get away from the door. Hide in the bathroom. Understand?”

Tearfully Sam nodded, and Dean dropped his keys in the bowl next to the door. Sam saw them out, and Cas stood by the door until he heard the deadbolt click. Then he stepped in front of Dean and started down the stairs.

“Who does Sam think is downstairs?”

“Dad. Uh. John. Look, it’s a long story, but he’s a grifter who wants to take Sam and use up his college fund and have Sam help give him legitimacy when he scams people. He did it to me until I was able to break away and take Sam with me. I’ll do anything to protect Sam from that,” Dean said, trying his best to put all his fears and honesty into his voice. 

Cas nodded. “You’re not Sam’s real father, are you?”

“No. I’m his brother. But I’m his only chance at a real life. If you… If you’ll just look the other way, Sam and I will get a head start, and you’ll never have to see us again.”

There was a long pause as they reached the bottom of the stairs, before Cas shook his head. “I want to hear the whole story, and I suspect we’ll have a lot to talk about then. But for now? As far as I’m concerned, you’re Sam’s father and that’s that. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

Dean blinked, but before he could respond Cas had moved to the door between the back rooms and staircase, and the front of the restaurant. With a shout, he flipped his body out into the restaurant. 

“Freeze! This is the police!”

*****

Leaving Dean to stay hidden in the back rooms, Cas stepped into the front of the restaurant, where Ellen had her trusty shotgun pointed at the chest of an older man. Looking at him, Cas could see where Dean and Sam got their looks. John was a tall man, with dark hair that neither of the boys shared. But he had a smile that echoed both Dean and Sam, though John’s didn’t reach his eyes. He was holding a switchblade, lazily, as though he couldn’t imagine anyone thinking he might use it, but Cas was sure that if the man was close enough to either himself or Ellen, he could have it through their eye in a second.

“Drop your weapon. Now.”

With a sigh, John dropped the blade. “Now, I was just here peaceably and all, asking about my little boy.”

“Right,” Cas said. “That’s why you had a knife out.”

Circling around behind the man, he reached the front doors of the restaurant and switched the sign to closed, locking the door while he was at it. He’d helped Ellen with closing a couple of time, so he could do it without looking. Then he walked closer to John, though not close enough to be within range of his arms or legs. 

“Ellen. What happened?”

“Ruffian came in and asked me about Dean. You know me, Sheriff, I don’t know nothing about nobody,” Ellen said. 

That wasn’t true, of course. Ellen was more than happy to talk gossip with him and any other resident in the small town of Cold Creek. But like most everyone else in this small town, she didn’t warm up immediately to outsiders, especially outsiders who were asking pointed questions about members of her community. Dean and Sam might be newcomers, but they weren’t outsiders, and so they fell under small town protection. Cold Creek residents could talk about Dean and Sam all they wanted, good or bad, but they weren’t about to let anyone else talk about them.

“Sounds about right, Ellen. Then what?”

“I politely--”

Cas cut John off. “Your name isn’t Ellen, and I wasn’t talking to you. Ellen?”

“This guy didn’t believe me. Knocked a table over. I told him he needed to take his self somewhere far away from here before I took him out for myself. He dared me to try. Pulled out that knife. So I pulled out my shotgun and dared him to try it. That’s about when you showed up.”

“Sounds like you got it pretty well handled,” Cas said, and then finally turned to John. “So what’d you say your name was?”

“John. John Smith,” the man said, sketching a small bow while trying to keep an eye on both Ellen in front of him and Castiel behind him.

“And what’s your business with Dean?”

“So he does live here,” John said. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw that car parked outside.”

“We have a couple of Deans in town,” Cas replied. “I’d like to know what your business is, so I can clear up any misunderstandings.”

“What’s he been telling you, Sheriff? That car’s not his. Money’s not, either. And whatever he’s been saying about that kid he’s got? It’s not true. I’m just looking for my boy, Sheriff. His older brother’s a scam artist, and he made off with my money, my car, and my boy,” John said, and if Cas hadn’t known Dean he’d have almost been pulled in by the man’s apparent sincerity.

But Cas had also had a lifetime in law enforcement, and he was good at seeing through liars. And John’s eyes told the truth.

“And did you file a police report?” Cas asked. 

That seemed to trip John up. “Uh…”

“Because I’m sure you wouldn’t just barrel down the road, coming into small towns trying to scam your way through them, targeting single parents and business owners, without having filed a police report, right?”

“Well I…”

Cas knew right there that John hadn’t filed a report. He likely couldn’t. Dean definitely shouldn’t have taken Sam and run, but if John was bad enough that Dean had felt the need to, Sam likely wouldn’t be returned to him. Dean might not be able to make a good enough case to keep Sam out of the foster system, but he could probably make a good enough case to get him permanently removed from John’s care. Besides that, any grifter who’d had run-ins with the law would be unlikely to go to them for help.

He could have figured something out if John had a police report to refer to, but without one? Cas wasn’t going to have any problems dealing with John now. 

“You mean to tell me that you came in here, with a _knife_ , threatened the restaurant owner, and are making allegations now that you have nothing with which to back them up? You do know switchblades longer than an inch are illegal in the States, right?”

“Hey now, I was just--!”

Cas didn’t have his handcuffs on him, which was unfortunate. But he did have his cell phone, and it only took a second to trigger the emergency app that would send backup to his location. He had a funny feeling that Sam had already called 911, too, probably as soon as they’d left him. Small towns didn’t have big police forces, but he had his volunteers plugged into the app, and one of them would show up quickly and with zip ties or cuffs. Meanwhile, he needed to keep John talking, and out of arm’s reach of either himself or Ellen.

“Don’t give me that nonsense. We may be small town folk around here, but we’re not stupid. We know grifters when we see them,” Cas said. 

“Now see here,” John said. “I haven’t done anything to you that deserves that.”

He stepped closer to Ellen, who loudly cocked her shotgun. Unnecessary, of course, but it drew John’s attention.

“I’d advise you keep your distance, Mr. Smith. Ellen’s shotgun is known to be a bit twitchy.” 

“Are you threatening me?” John asked, shifting his hands into his pockets.

“Hands where I can see them, Mr. Smith,” Cas said, moving so that he was out of Ellen’s spread. He didn’t really want to end up full of buckshot. 

John moved quickly, pulling another knife from his pocket and moving towards Cas. A second later he dropped to the ground, Ellen’s shot having dropped him. Just then, a knock came at the front door, and Cas’s back up arrived. Keeping his weapon pointed at John’s body, he went to let in his volunteer deputy Garth.

“Well now,” Garth said. “It seems I arrived just in time.”

“Do you still have your EMT credentials, Garth?”

Garth nodded, stepping into the restaurant and kneeling beside John. “Don’t think I’ll be needing it, though. Ellen always was a good shot.”

*****

Dean stayed in the back, watching everything. The fact that Cas still defended them was… Dean hadn’t expected it, at all. When Cas came to get him, Dean was trembling, worried about the consequences of all of this.

“Any chance you actually know this man?” Garth asked after he’d contacted the ambulance and covered the body with a sheet. 

Looking at Cas, Dean paused. What should he say? Cas shot him a wink, and Dean nodded. “No.”

“I didn’t think so,” Cas said. “He probably got your name by asking around town, and thought you’d make a good target. We see this every once in a while around here. Drifters who think they can make a buck off of small town hicks.”

“He sure picked the wrong town to try that in,” Garth said. “It’s too bad, but anybody who pulls a knife on two people holding him at gunpoint is just asking for trouble.”

Cas nodded. “If Ellen hadn’t dropped him, I would have.”

“Anywho, Cas my man. You’re technically off duty and I’m not, so I’ll get all the paperwork dealt with. Don’t think you’ll have to deal with much when you come on tomorrow, since you weren’t the one that shot him,” Garth said. “Let’s get statements and all that dealt with, and then I’ll leave you guys to your day.”

It took a half hour for Dean and Cas to be done, and then they headed upstairs.

*****

Sam was beside himself when they got to him. It took some time to get the boy calmed down, and then Dean put him to bed. After that, Cas and Dean talked quietly in the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights. Dean explained everything, laid everything on the line and hoped for the best. Cas nodded, and then looked at the Christmas tree.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything you’ve done, Dean. But I do understand it. And it doesn’t change how I see you. You’re a righteous man, and an amazing father. You’ve done so much for Sam, and you deserve the world.”

Cas leaned forward, resting his hand against Dean’s cheek. “And I mean to make sure you get it.”

With that, he closed the distance between them, lighting Dean up with a kiss he felt to his toes.

It was a Christmas miracle, and Dean wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
